by Annie Boone
Feeling his stomach churn deep within, Clayton tried to keep from jumping to his feet and punching the evil man right in the mouth. Controlling his jerking nerves, Clayton looked back down at his papers and asked, “What can I do for you this afternoon?”
Stepping up closer to the desk, Mason leaned over it and placed his broad fists against the wooden top.
It was those same horrible hands that had hurt innocent little Elizabeth only the night before.
“I need to report a missing person,” Mason said in a most uncertain voice.
Looking up into his blue eyes, Clayton raised his eyebrow and asked, “Who’s missing?”
“My fiancé,” Mason answered, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “She went for a walk last night and I haven’t seen her since. I’ve spent the entire morning scouring my property.”
Nodding his head, Clayton offered a suggestion.
“Do you think she might be hiding somewhere? Or is there a chance that the coyotes got her?”
Letting out a deep sigh, Mason rested his fists on the sheriff’s table and bent so his head was closer.
“She ran away, I believe. One of my horses went missing last night, too, and I found it here in the town’s livery.”
Watching Clayton closely, he added, “We argued last night, I’m afraid. See, she had wanted to get married immediately but I was suggesting that we wait. She got extremely upset and thought I didn’t love her. It was just a bad situation all the way round.”
The idea that Elizabeth had been begging Mason to marry her was laughable and Clayton had to fight to keep down the chuckle of disgust that threatened to escape him.
“If Miss Brown ran away, then I’m afraid there isn’t much I can do about it,” Clayton offered with a shrug. “She’s a free woman and, unless she stole something from you, then she did nothing illegal. She can go where she pleases.”
Noticing Mason’s face begin to redden, Clayton hoped he would say something incriminating that could land him in the jail cell.
“Listen, Sheriff,” Mason voice boomed.
“I love that woman. I know you and I have had bad blood for some reason, but I need your help. If you can locate her for me, I’ll be willing to give you a decent amount of money. In fact, I’ll give anyone money if they can help me get her back home.”
Trying to keep his composure, Clayton looked down at his paper to avoid igniting the angry spark by looking into Mason’s eyes.
“I’ll ask around but, as I already said, I can’t make her go back with you if she doesn’t want to.”
Mason was silent for a moment but then in a sudden burst of rage, he slammed his fists against the desktop.
Starting at the action, Clayton looked up in surprise and found that Mason’s face was bright red, and his eyes were practically shooting flames.
“I know you have her,” Mason snapped, his jaw quivering in anger. “This is the only place she could go. Do you think I’m so feeble I haven’t noticed you two talking? What’s going on? Have you been trying to impress my woman behind my back?”
Letting out a curse, he added, “I never would have dreamed that Elizabeth could have such questionable morals.”
Clayton could take Mason lying to his face but he couldn’t take Mason calling her names. He rose to his feet as his chest heaved because of the boiling anger he felt inside him. Clayton punched one fist into the palm of the other hand in practice of how he was going to punch Mason in the face if he kept spouting his bilge.
“I don’t appreciate your accusations,” Clayton hissed between clenched teeth. “I think you need to get out of here before I have to arrest you for threatening an officer.”
Narrowing his eyes, Mason let out a huff before turning and stomping toward the door. Turning back around, he said with brazen boldness, “Just wait, Sheriff. I’ll find her and, when I do, she’s going to wish she’d never come to Plainsville.”
Stepping out into the street, Mason jerked the door shut with a gigantic slam, leaving Clayton alone to struggle with his overwhelming emotions. He had never had such a strong desire to attack another human being. Every fiber of his being had been gearing to beat Mason Reeve and to beat him black and blue too. He couldn’t wait until he gathered enough evidence to put the hideous man in bars.
When Clayton saw Mason ride out of town through the office windows, he realized that it was finally safe for him to go see Elizabeth. He told himself he only wanted to see her to ensure she was safe and to discover if she had thought of any more evidence that might incriminate Mason, but he secretly admitted he just wanted to see her. Clayton felt a sense of protectiveness toward the young woman. He was magnetized to her.
Making his way down the street, Clayton stepped into the dress shop and gave a stiff smile in Mrs. Jennings’ direction.
Taking off his hat, Clayton held it in his hands and walked to the older woman.
“Mrs. Jennings, I need to see your houseguest.”
Eyeing him suspiciously, it felt like Mrs. Jennings considered him to be as much an enemy as Mason Reeve, had he walked into her shop.
Pulling herself to her feet, she stepped up close to Clayton and stuck a boney finger up in his face.
“I’ll take you back to her, but you’d better not hurt her.”
Clayton’s eyes enlarged and he raised his eyebrows, unsure how he fit into the line of suspicion. Opening his mouth to speak, he couldn’t even get out a word before Mrs. Jennings continued her rant.
“That girl has had her heart broken over the last few weeks. Absolutely nothing good has happened to her since she arrived in Plainsville. I don’t want to see her hurt again. So, do you plan to do anything that will hurt her?”
Feeling like he was on trial, Clayton shook his head and raised a hand like he was taking a vow.
“Mrs. Jennings, I promise you I have no intention of hurting Elizabeth Brown. I just want to make sure she’s doing all right, and I want to give her an update on what’s going on with her ex-fiancé.”
When Mrs. Jennings was somewhat convinced that Clayton was innocent, she led him toward the back bedroom.
“She’s in there,” Mrs. Jennings said before turning to walk back into the shop.
Taking a deep breath, Clayton tried to imagine what Elizabeth might be doing. She had been through such a traumatic experience and Mrs. Jennings made it sound like she wasn’t doing as well as he had hoped. Clayton could only cross his fingers and pray that she wasn’t huddled in the corner of the room with tears streaming down her cheeks. After years spent on his own, Clayton wasn’t the most in tune with emotions. He didn’t know how he would even begin to comfort a crying young woman.
Knocking on the door, Clayton held his breath and waited for her to reply.
“Come in,” a cheerful voice said, giving him some hope that she wasn’t in terrible shape.
Pushing the door open and stepping into the sparsely-furnished room, Clayton let out a sigh of relief when he found Elizabeth sitting in a rocking chair with a piece of material spread out on her lap and a needle in her hand.
Looking up at him, Elizabeth immediately turned back to the work at hand. Something flashed across her face when their eyes had met, and it was obvious that she didn’t want to continue staring at him for longer than necessary.
“Hello, Sheriff,” she greeted, her voice sounding somewhat strained.
Pointing at a spare rocking chair that was located nearby, Clayton asked, “May I?”
Elizabeth nodded her head and continued to make tiny stitches on the material spread out in front of her.
Suddenly, Clayton found himself overwhelmed with uncertainty and an overwhelming sense of guilt. Swallowing hard, he tried to put his feelings into words.
“Miss Brown, I just wanted to come by to see how you were doing and to apologize.”
“Apologize?” Elizabeth said, looking up in surprise.
“Yes.”
Clayton forced himself to continue as he worked his hands
together nervously on his lap.
“I’d worried about you when I saw you in church on Sunday. I knew it wasn’t safe for you to stay with Mason, but I was so anxious to get him arrested that I let my better judgment go. I can’t help but feel like I’m partially to blame for your busted lip.”
Laughing, Elizabeth shook her head and smiled.
“Don’t worry about that at all. I’m the one who made the choice to return to Reeve Ranch. Believe me, you couldn’t have changed my mind either way. I assure you that I was intent on bringing him to justice.”
Setting her work aside, she sat up straighter in the chair and stared Clayton in the face, her gaze boring a hole into his heart as she spoke.
“I still intend to bring him to justice.”
Before Clayton could protest, she hurried to explain.
“I know I have to stay here for now, but I don’t plan to just run and hide. I want to see that evil man behind bars, and I’m going to do my part in making sure that happens. This time, I’m just going to be prepared.”
Clayton opened his mouth to talk but Elizabeth reached out to breach the space between them, putting one of her tiny hands on his strong arm.
“Don’t try to change my mind, Sheriff. This is what I want.”
Nodding his head, Clayton decided it would be pointless to fight her. He could understand her desire to see Mason Reeve in jail and know that she played a part in his arrest. Not only did Clayton understand her, but he also admired her. Elizabeth Brown was certainly quite a woman.
Chapter Fourteen
Letting out a deep sigh, Elizabeth ran the broom across the floor with another sweeping motion. She had now been staying at the dress shop for several days and, while she was glad to have the opportunity to hide as she recovered from her injuries and regained her thoughts, she was beginning to get tired of the monotony. Elizabeth longed to escape, to go out into the night and get a breath of fresh air.
Mrs. Jennings had retired early, leaving Elizabeth all to herself. So Elizabeth used the time to clean the dress shop and work on several small sewing projects. She found that her mind pulled toward the door, in response to the temptation to step out onto the porch and at least allow herself feel the breeze run across her face. But she quickly thought better of it. Going out by herself wouldn’t be a wise choice, and the fear of encountering Mason Reeve alone overwhelmed her.
A knock on the door made Elizabeth jump and she instantly worried that Mason might have found her. Tiptoeing to the door, she pushed the small window curtain aside and peered out, her heart beating quickly as she looked to see who might possibly be there to visit. She let out a deep sigh of relief when she saw the sheriff standing on the front porch.
More than relief, Elizabeth also felt a thrill of excitement course through her body. There was something about the sheriff that seemed to draw her toward him, and she looked forward to the opportunity to visit with him again. Pulling the door open, Elizabeth smiled at him.
“I didn’t expect to see you tonight. Do you want to come in?”
Clayton smiled as he stepped into the shop and pushed the door shut behind him.
“I didn’t exactly expect to see you, either. I thought you’d be back in your bedroom.”
Setting the broom aside, Elizabeth let out a sigh. “Oh, I spend plenty of time in there, I assure you. At night, I come out and work in the shop. It helps to keep things clean and it gives me a change of scenery at the same time.”
Leaning his shoulder against the door, Clayton studied her as he asked, “How’s the ankle?”
“Oh, I think it’s about healed.”
Recognizing this as her one chance to get out, she added, “I sure would like to test it out on the ground again.”
Seeing that he didn’t get the point of her suggestion, she flat-out asked, “Would you be willing to go for a little walk with me?”
Apprehension crossed Clayton’s face and Elizabeth hurried to explain.
“I just want a few minutes to get a breath of fresh air and to enjoy the night.”
She wasn’t sure if Clayton would agree or not, and she had to fight not to clap her hands when he finally nodded, before giving a quick warning.
“Okay, but we’d better make this really short.”
Elizabeth hurried to get her shawl and then stepped out onto the porch of the building. As soon as the fresh air hit her lungs, she understood why her body had been pinning so much for open space. The feeling was indescribable.
Clayton offered her his arm and Elizabeth timidly wrapped her own arm around it, thankful for his support as she hobbled along on her injured ankle. But it wasn’t just the physical support that appealed to her. There was something about the feel of his strong arm against her that was stabilizing. It felt like it could steady her in a world that was spinning apart.
As they made their way down the deserted street, Clayton worked to veer them out of town and farther away from the eyes of anyone who might be watching. Elizabeth wasn’t sure if Clayton made a habit of taking young women out for walks, but she was almost certain that the sight of it would gain attention.
“How about I show you one of my favorite places?” Clayton suggested, his voice sounding husky as he directed her steps through the grassy fields that bordered the town. Elizabeth was immediately curious and intrigued. She took a calming breath before she spoke but still couldn’t keep the excitement from her voice.
“I think I’d like that.”
As they made their way through the dark night, their path was illuminated only by the bright moon overhead and the fireflies that darted wildly through the air.
“You said you like to watch fireflies, didn’t you?”
Clayton’s question took Elizabeth by surprise. She had no idea he’d listened to her comments that well.
“Sure,” she replied as she allowed him lead her where he wanted. “I used to try to catch them when I was a little girl. I’d put them in a jar and look at them, but they never looked as good as when they were flying free.”
Nodding as he led her toward a small creek only a few feet ahead of them, the handsome sheriff stated matter-of-factly, “That would be my favorite place.”
Elizabeth could understand his attraction to it immediately. The clear water of the creek sparkled in the light of the moon, and she could hear frogs singing from the bank.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered as she took in the entire scene.
Clayton led her over to a large rock where he helped her to lower her weight so she could rest her sore ankle. While Elizabeth was glad for the chance to give her leg a rest, she hated releasing the arm of the sheriff. There was something about him that was so comforting. She found herself wanting to cling to him.
“How long have you loved this place?” Elizabeth asked, watching the lights of the fireflies reflect off the still water.
Squatting down beside her, she could make out a slight smile on Clayton’s lips.
“Ever since I saw it, which was back when I was about ten-years-old.”
Looking at him, Elizabeth tried to picture what the sheriff would have looked like as a little boy. There was a part of her that wished she could have known him as a child. He seemed so rough and harsh in so many ways. It would have been nice to know him before he had to take on a job as trying as making sure people upheld the law.
“That was when I first moved to Plainsville,” Clayton explained. “I’d been tossed around so much after my parents died, that I was a mess when I came here. I didn’t feel like I had a home anywhere, and it took me a long spell before I could get used to Amy and her parents. It was a while before they felt like my own. Back then, when it seemed like I had no place to call my own, I’d come out here. This rock was more like home to me than any place I’d been since my parents died.”
His words brought tears to Elizabeth’s eyes.
“I understand.”
It felt like she couldn’t force herself to say more and yet her thoughts were trave
ling everywhere. She, too, felt as if she no longer had a home. The creek bank certainly did provide a sort of calming effect.
“I had hoped that Mason would provide that for me,” Elizabeth managed to choke out.
“But he only brought more pain to my life. I’m like you, Clayton. This moment is the closest I’ve felt to being home since my father died.”
Watching Clayton out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth had to silently admit he was a good man. Yes, he might be rough around the edges, but he was a gentleman underneath. She found herself comparing Clayton to Mason. While Mason initially seemed charming and polite, he was a monster beneath his showy front. On the other hand, Clayton could come across as silent and rough, but he seemed to possess a genuine heart.
“Sheriff,” Elizabeth said, as she found herself asking a question she never would have guessed would come from her lips. “Why aren’t you married?”
As soon as the question escaped, she wanted to slap herself for asking something so ignorant. Hurrying to apologize, she rattled on. “You don’t have to tell if you don’t want to. I didn’t even mean… well, it just came out before I could think it over properly.”
Lifting a hand to still her, Clayton replied, “I don’t really like to talk about it, but I guess I’ll make an exception tonight.”
Taking an audible breath, he started the story that was obviously difficult for him.
“I had a girl once. Her name was Sylvia. The two of us were supposed to get married but, at the last minute, she broke things off. She explained that she didn’t think she could stand to be married to a man who was so devoted to his work and that she’d rather have someone who was a little more light-hearted and fun.”
Looking down at the ground, he picked up a pebble and rolled it around in his hands as he spoke.
“It’s hard to be light-hearted and fun at times.”
Elizabeth’s heart broke as she watched him. How unfair it was that such a good man would have to go through so much. Obviously, it had hurt him deeply to be jilted by the woman he loved, and he still seemed to be smarting intensely from the pain.
